La Plata, Maryland

La Plata /ləˈpleɪtə/ lə-PLAY-tə)[3] is a town in Charles County, Maryland, United States. The population was 10,159 at the 2020 census.[4] It is the county seat of Charles County.[5]

La Plata, Maryland
Town
Charles County Courthouse
Charles County Courthouse
Flag of La Plata, Maryland
Flag
Official seal of La Plata, Maryland
Seal
Location of La Plata, Maryland
Location of La Plata, Maryland
La Plata is located in Maryland
La Plata
La Plata
La Plata is located in the United States
La Plata
La Plata
Coordinates: 38°32′3″N 76°58′24″W
CountryUnited States
StateMaryland
CountyCharles
Incorporated1888[1]
Founded byColonel Samuel Chapman
Named forRío de la Plata
Area
[2]
 • Total7.43 sq mi (19.25 km2)
 • Land7.40 sq mi (19.18 km2)
 • Water0.03 sq mi (0.07 km2)
Elevation
190 ft (58 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total10,159
 • Density1,372.10/sq mi (529.79/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
20646
Area code(s)301, 240
FIPS code24-45750
GNIS feature ID0585340
Websitewww.townoflaplata.org

History

According to an unconfirmed local story, the town was named by one Colonel Samuel Chapman, whose family owned 6,000 acres (24 km2) of land in Charles County. The Colonel traveled to South America with his son George, who had contracted tuberculosis, in search of a cure. In his travels, the Colonel had apparently encountered the Río de la Plata, which flows through Argentina and Uruguay, thus naming a portion of his property "La Plata".[6]

In the 1870s, a section of the Pennsylvania Railroad had been constructed through the town of La Plata, leading to its 1888 incorporation.[7]

The La Plata courthouse had been built soon after the 1819 Port Tobacco courthouse caught fire in 1895 under suspicious circumstances.[8] In 1904, the historic Christ Episcopal Church in Port Tobacco, which dates to 1683 and was reconstructed in 1884, was dismantled and its stones were then transported by oxen and cart to its current lot in La Plata.[9]

In 1940, the opening of the then Potomac River Bridge (later, the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge), which carries U.S. Route 301 over the Potomac River, provided a link to King George, Virginia and brought long-distance east coast traffic through the town as an alternative to U.S. 1 and, later, Interstate 95.

Tornadoes

La Plata has been affected by two major tornadoes in its history.

1926

On November 9, 1926, an F4 tornado killed 17 people, 14 of them in the La Plata Elementary School, which was destroyed.[10][11][12]

2002

Main article: 2002 La Plata tornado

On April 28, 2002, another F4 tornado cut a 24-mile-long (39 km) swath through Charles County, with areas around La Plata damaged most severely. This tornado caused five deaths. Local officials credited federal- and state-assisted new construction efforts with helping them to remodel the downtown area following the tornado,[13] as several new public buildings replaced some of those damaged there. A new La Plata Town Hall, for example, became Southern Maryland's first LEED-certified building,[14] and an old building considered historic by local residents, which housed a CVS Pharmacy store at the time of the tornado, was rebuilt in a new location after the storm. In the days after the tornado, help was provided by twenty-seven different jurisdictions, as well as the nearby Amish community in St. Mary's County.[15]

Geography

La Plata is located at 38°32′3″N 76°58′24″W (38.534258, -76.973377).[16] On February 24, 2020, The Mayor and Town's Council unanimously adopted the Purple Martin as the official Town bird.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 7.45 square miles (19.30 km2), of which 7.40 square miles (19.17 km2) is land and 0.05 square miles (0.13 km2) is water.[17]

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, La Plata has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[18]

US 301 southbound just south of MD 6 in La Plata

Transportation

The primary method of travel to and from La Plata is by road, and four state highways serve the town. The most significant of these is U.S. Route 301, which follows Crain Highway through the town. From La Plata, US 301 heads south across the Potomac River into Virginia, eventually reaching Richmond. To the north, US 301 passes through Waldorf before intersecting Interstate 495 and U.S. Route 50 near Bowie. From there, US 301 joins I-495 and US 50 east past Annapolis and crosses the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Maryland Route 6 is the main east-west highway serving La Plata, following Port Tobacco Road and Charles Street through town. From La Plata, MD 6 heads west to Port Tobacco and continues east to Charlotte Hall. Maryland Route 225 follows Hawthorne Road westward from US 301 in La Plata, eventually reaching Maryland Route 210 near Indian Head. Finally, Maryland Route 488 follows La Plata Road northeast from MD 6 to Maryland Route 5 near Bryantown.

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1890116—
1910269—
192030011.5%
193033210.7%
194048847.0%
195078059.8%
19601,21455.6%
19701,56128.6%
19802,48459.1%
19905,841135.1%
20006,55112.2%
20108,75333.6%
202010,15916.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[19]

The median income for a household in the town was $56,490, and the median income for a family was $66,288. Males had a median income of $42,492 versus $32,125 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,669. About 8.3% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and 18.1% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the census[20] of 2010, there were 8,753 people, 3,062 households, and 2,091 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,182.8 inhabitants per square mile (456.7/km2). There were 3,234 housing units at an average density of 437.0 per square mile (168.7/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 66.3% White, 26.7% African American, 0.5% Native American, 2.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.7% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.2% of the population.

There were 3,062 households, of which 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples living together, 15.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.7% were non-families. 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.17.

The median age in the town was 38.4 years. 24.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27% were from 25 to 44; 26.4% were from 45 to 64; and 13.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.3% male and 51.7% female.

Attractions

La Plata is largely a residential community. Some residents work for the Charles County government, while others commute to Waldorf or the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore areas for work, including to Andrews Air Force Base and Naval Air Station Patuxent River. The town is experiencing a transformation into a thriving business and commercial center, thanks to the development of office buildings and the town's recent reconstruction.

Mount Carmel Monastery (1790), a Catholic convent, is just outside La Plata, near the main campus of the College of Southern Maryland.[21]

La Plata has county offices, the University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center, the main campus of the College of Southern Maryland, a community theater (Port Tobacco Players), a large outdoor athletic complex, two nursing homes, and a host of stores, churches, and restaurants, in addition to a twice-weekly farmers' market.[22] At the north edge of town are Walmart and Target department stores, three supermarkets, a Lowe's home-improvement store, and many other shops.[23] Rosewick Road is connected with St. Charles Parkway to adjacent Waldorf, providing drivers an alternative to using U.S. Route 301.

Public schools in La Plata include La Plata High School, Milton Somers Middle School, Walter Mitchell Elementary, and Mary Matula Elementary. The portion of town west of Route 301 is zoned for James Craik Elementary and Maurice J. McDonough High School.

There is also La Plata Train Station Museum.[24]

Mayors

1963–1967 Lowell E. Hawthorne

1967–1973 Raymond T. Tighlman

1973–1983 Victor B. Bowling, Jr.

1983–2005 William F. Eckman

2005–2008 Eugene Ambrogio

2008–2017 Roy G. Hale

2017–present Jeannine E. James[25]

Notable people

References
  1. "La Plata, Charles County, Maryland". Maryland Manual. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
  2. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  3. Pronounced unlike the river in Argentina
  4. "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2020 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): La Plata town, Maryland". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
  5. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  6. Winkler, Wayne (February–March 2007). "How La Plata Got Its Name" (PDF). Town Notes: News from La Plata Town Hall. Retrieved February 2, 2007.
  7. "Welcome to the Town of La Plata". The Town of La Plata. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  8. Meyer, Eugene L. (September 6, 2003). "Port Tobacco: Where a Visitor Is a Crowd". Washington Post. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  9. "History". christchurchlaplata.org. Christ Church of La Plata. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  10. Thomas R. Brooks (November 1926). "The Tornado in Southern Maryland, November 3, 1926". Monthly Weather Review. American Meteorological Society. 54, 11 (11): 462. Bibcode:1926MWRv...54..462B. doi:10.1175/1520-0493(1926)54<462:TTISMN>2.0.CO;2. ISSN 1520-0493.
  11. Gazulis, Thomas P. (1993). Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, Vermont: Environmental Films. p. 804. ISBN 1-879362-03-1.
  12. "Tornado Downgraded from Most Powerful". Baltimore Sun. May 8, 2002. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  13. "Rebuilding La Plata after the storm". University of Maryland College of Journalism. 2002. Retrieved June 30, 2009.
  14. Rucker, Philip (August 16, 2007). "La Plata Town Hall Is First 'Green' Building in S.Md". The Washington Post. p. SM01. Retrieved May 2, 2008.
  15. Eckman, William. "After the Storm Passed By" (PDF). Town of La Plata.
  16. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  17. "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 25, 2012. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
  18. "La Plata, Maryland Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)". Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  19. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  20. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
  21. "Carmel of Port Tobacco". Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  22. "La Plata Farmers Market - La Plata, MD - Local-Farmers-Markets.Com". Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  23. McConaty, Nancy Bromley (April 16, 2008). "La Plata's retail boom continues with eateries". The Independent. Archived from the original on February 2, 2013. Retrieved April 17, 2008.
  24. "La Plata Train Station Museum".
  25. "La Plata Mayors, Charles County, Maryland". Maryland State Archives. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
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